1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus, more particularly, to a facsimile apparatus comprising an automatic communication mode such as a broadcast communication mode for automatically communicating with facsimile apparatuses of plural preregistered subscribers one by one through a communication line.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there has been made a facsimile apparatus having an automatic transmission function. As an operation mode of the facsimile apparatus utilizing the automatic transmission function, there is provided a broadcast transmission mode for performing a telephone line connection with plural preregistered facsimile apparatuses through a telephone line and transmitting the same image data thereto one by one, respectively. If a transmission reservation time is set in the broadcast transmission mode, the above process of the broadcast transmission mode is started automatically when the present time coincides with the preset transmission reservation time.
Further, there has been proposed a facsimile network system composed of a host facsimile apparatus having an automatic calling function utilizing the polling method, and plural terminal facsimile apparatuses. In the facsimile network system, the host facsimile apparatus polls plural preregistered terminal facsimile apparatuses automatically, and then, it performs the telephone line connection with only the terminal facsimile apparatuses from which a transmission request signal has been received, and receives image data transmitted therefrom one by one, respectively. Since a telephone line is occupied for a relatively long time by the process of the above automatic calling function utilizing the polling method, the host facsimile apparatus of this type have such a disadvantage that the other transmission process and/or reception process can not be executed.
For example, in the case that a host facsimile apparatus arranged at a head office of a company receives sale information at a time which is transmitted from terminal facsimile apparatuses respectively arranged at 100 branch offices thereof, when it takes three minutes for the host facsimile apparatus to communicate with one terminal facsimile apparatus, the host facsimile apparatus automatically communicates with 100 terminal facsimile apparatuses for a long time of five hours. Then, the telephone line can not be utilized for another use since the telephone line is thus occupied by the above operation. Particularly, in the case that an emergency communication is to be performed, the operator may feel inconvenience thereof.
In order to solve the above problems, there is provided an interruption function in these facsimile apparatuses. In the interruption function thereof, when there is caused an emergency transmission or reception process to be executed, the operator presses an interruption key for interrupting the process of the automatic calling function which is executed at present, and the telephone line is released temporarily. Thereafter, the above emergency transmission or reception process is executed communicating with a facsimile apparatus of a destination subscriber through the telephone line, and then, the interrupted above process of the automatic calling function is executed again.
However, it is necessary for the operator to press the interruption key in order to start the above interruption function, and the process of the automatic calling function can not be interrupted automatically. Particularly, in the case of executing the reception process, since an operator of an originating subscriber can not remotely control the host facsimile apparatus, he can not interrupt the process of the automatic calling function of the host facsimile apparatus.